White House fact sheet on change in Cuba policy

WASHINGTON Dec 17 (Reuters) - Following is the text of a
White House news release titled "Charting a New Course on Cuba."

Today, the United States is taking historic steps to chart a
new course in our relations with Cuba and to further engage and
empower the Cuban people. We are separated by 90 miles of water,
but brought together through the relationships between the two
million Cubans and Americans of Cuban descent that live in the
United States, and the 11 million Cubans who share similar hopes
for a more positive future for Cuba.

It is clear that decades of U.S. isolation of Cuba have
failed to accomplish our enduring objective of promoting the
emergence of a democratic, prosperous, and stable Cuba. At
times, longstanding U.S. policy towards Cuba has isolated the
United States from regional and international partners,
constrained our ability to influence outcomes throughout the
Western Hemisphere, and impaired the use of the full range of
tools available to the United States to promote positive change
in Cuba. Though this policy has been rooted in the best of
intentions, it has had little effect; today, as in 1961, Cuba is
governed by the Castros and the Communist party.

We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different
result. It does not serve America's interests, or the Cuban
people, to try to push Cuba toward collapse. We know from
hard-learned experience that it is better to encourage and
support reform than to impose policies that will render a
country a failed state. With our actions today, we are calling
on Cuba to unleash the potential of 11 million Cubans by ending
unnecessary restrictions on their political, social, and
economic activities. In that spirit, we should not allow U.S.
sanctions to add to the burden of Cuban citizens we seek to
help.

Today, we are renewing our leadership in the Americas. We
are choosing to cut loose the anchor of the past, because it is
entirely necessary to reach a better future: for our national
interests, for the American people, and for the Cuban people.

Key Components of the Updated Policy Approach:

Since taking office in 2009, President Obama has taken steps
aimed at supporting the ability of the Cuban people to gain
greater control over their own lives and determine their
country's future. Today, the President announced additional
measures to end our outdated approach, and to promote more
effectively change in Cuba that is consistent with U.S. support
for the Cuban people and in line with U.S. national security
interests. Major elements of the President's new approach
include:
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